ABSTRACT
The World Bank and IMF maintain that their policies have had little negative impact on health care provision and social welfare in countries experiencing adjustment. As I demonstrated in the last chapter, despite cuts in social spending, insufficient quantitative data exist to demonstrate otherwise. In spite of the inconclusive evidence, many in the ‘development community’ are in no doubt that adjustment has had a harmful impact on those countries experiencing long-term adjustment programmes. In the previous chapter, I raised doubts about the methodology used for measuring the impact of structural adjustment. What I want to argue here is that, while recognizing the value of quantitative research, it nevertheless has limitations in illustrating what is really taking place ‘on the ground’ in a given country regarding structural adjustment. In an effort to provide more insights into the effects of adjustment. I decided to carry out qualitative research in Jamaica. The aim of the research was to analyze what health professionals were experiencing and what they perceived to be the effects of structural adjustment policies on health care provision. I felt that it was important to examine Jamaicans’ perceptions of their own situation and that doing so would provide valid insights into the adjustment process.
